Draco and the Elves
by KeepSmiling1
Summary: (please read School Days - Year One Fun and Baby Harry Plays with Elves first) Harry has already changed Draco's perspective on Lycanthropes. Surely that is where things will end. When a visit to the kitchens coincide with a case of Requiar Mortun, however, Draco finds his perspective changed on elves too.. How will that impact his relationship with the Malfoy elves?
1. Chapter 1

Takes place shortly after Halloween in School Days...

Draco Malfoy had never before entered a kitchen. At home, he needed only to call for one of the house elves, and they would get him whatever he wanted. Unfortunately, this wasn't home. Worse, one of the prefects had noticed his absence at dinner, and his options were to either march himself down to the not-so-secret kitchens or be frog-marched there by an annoyed prefect. It didn't matter that he was working on creating what could possibly be the single most important contract since the founders decided to build a school together. It also didn't matter that because of the importance of said contract, he was not hungry in the slightest. Nope. He would eat something whether he wished to or not. And so, without any hesitation whatsoever and without feeling the slightest bit ridiculous, Draco Malfoy tickled a very ticklish pear and slipped into the elves' domain.

It was...rather quiet. The prefect had described the kitchens as being a chaotic place where one was likely to be swarmed by overly helpful elves. Instead, Draco was met by...no one. It was as if the elves weren't even aware of the presence of the Malfoy heir. Stunned by this event, Draco crept further into the kitchens, eyes wide and looking for any signs of life. Were the elves asleep? Did house elves even need sleep? Draco did not know. The shrill whistle of a tea kettle startled him. Peeking around the corner, Draco saw someone remove a large kettle, but it wasn't an elf.

"Potter?!"

Calmly, Harry Potter continued to pour tea into tiny cups.

"Hi Draco. What're you doing here?"

"I, um...one of Slytherin's prefects noticed I skipped dinner and told me to grab a bite in the kitchens. You?"

What followed was a rather convoluted discussion between two boys who, though both had grown up in wealthy, privileged households, could not be further apart in life experiences.

"So the majority of the elves have some sort of bizarre ailment, and you're here instead of Madame Pomfrey because…?"

"Because Madame Pomfrey's expertise is in wizarding problems. Elves have a completely different set of needs in order to be healthy, and I know about them and how to treat problems because some of my best friends growing up were house-elves bound to my family. I was around enough and interested enough to learn."

This began a huge paradigm shift for Draco who had been raised to never give a second's thought to the well-being of the servants bound to his family. He wondered if such shifts in thinking were normal for those who regularly interacting with the boy in front of him. /_First werewolves stop being monsters. Now he's changing my view on house-elves. What's next? Goblins?/_

On further inquiry, Draco discovered that Harry had become aware of the problem a few hours earlier and, in a pinch, had worked alongside the few healthy elves (who were all apparently younger than himself and less vulnerable to the illness for unknown reasons) to complete dinner. He had sent the elflings to bed just prior to Draco's coming and was going to straighten up the kitchens and continue preparations for the cure before going to bed himself. Some elves not affiliated with Hogwarts would cook the rest of the meals needed until Hogwarts' population was up and running again.

In a move completely unprecedented by generations of Malfoys before him, Draco asked how he could help. Having no experience with cleaning magic, Draco found himself mostly scrubbing dishes while Harry focused on the potion. Once Harry reached a good place to pause, he used his magic to help speed the cleaning process along...without using his wand.

"Is wandless magic really that easy for you?" Draco asked. He remembered the events of Halloween vividly of course, but somehow seeing Harry casually use magic when emotions weren't high made it seem more real.

"It's actually easier than using a wand for me," Harry admitted. Draco was the first wizarding child that he had told. "Professor Flitwick has to give me private lessons on wand magic."

"Do you think you could show me some?"

By the time the boys retired for the night, Draco was levitating spoons and forks into drawers, and the foundation had been made for a fierce friendship.

Every night that week, the two boys would meet in the kitchens - working together in preparation of the coming day. Draco got Harry's input on the contract project; Harry learned a bit about what normal children did each day. Once the potion was complete, they teamed up to care for the sick elves. It was then that two of the elflings (who had up to then been nervous around Draco) ran up to give Draco and Harry a hug in thanks. The elflings ended up falling asleep in the boys' laps while they discussed Quidditch. Draco would never be the same again.

The house-elves of Hogwarts would never forget the week when a couple of students took it upon themselves to care about their well-being. Jelly had been the one who went to The Marked One for help. She had watched, unobserved and entranced, when Harry Potter spoke in defense of a fellow student. Seventy-three minutes into the debate, he had turned such that she could see his forehead. _Eschetar_! A symbol representing trustworthiness and equality - never before seen on a Tall-One. When the adult elves became ill, Jelly remembered that event and went to the eleven-year-old desperately hoping for help.

Assistance from Harry Potter was not a complete surprise. . There had to be a reason Gellion had marked him with _Eschetar_ after all. The Malfoy heir, on the other hand...Tall-Ones from that family had a certain _reputation_. Even within the walls of Hogwarts where the heir would be limited to cruel words, elflings knew to avoid him if at all possible. But he didn't live up to his reputation, or rather he shredded his reputation by way of actually trying to help Friend Harry. Seeing him help Friend Harry with the parents caused Jelly and her sister Deli to push past the fear into trust. Neither Harry nor Draco let them down.


	2. Chapter 2

Even after the elves were healed, Draco became a common sight in the kitchens both with and without Harry. His eyes had been opened, and he wanted more. As Summer Break drew ever closer, he was filled with both anticipation and nerves. He wanted to make amends and new connections with the Malfoy elves, especially Binky his nanny-elf, but did not know how.

Being home was...surreal. He had memories here, happy ones, but having his eyes opened to the flaws in his father's ideology tainted them. He could no longer blithely go along with the hate-filled speech spewing forth in the dining room table. He had no choice but to go along with it. To do anything else would greatly hamper his ability to create future change. Draco barely managed to contain a flinch when Mother called forth one of the elves because a small portion of the meal wasn't prepared to her liking. Had he really been so blind as to see nothing wrong with this? How could it be okay to demand for someone to burn their ears in the oven? Of course, before this year, he had not acknowledged the personhood of house-elves... After all of his visits in Hogwarts' kitchens, however, it stung to see Binky's eyes hold fear as she prepared his rooms for the night.

He had been home for a week before he sought out Harry's help. He needed a came up with a way of escape, a way to talk to Binky with minimal risk to others. His first visit to Potter Manor was a surprising one. The elder Potters seemed to take his presence in stride while his cousin Sirius Black watched him with cool suspicion. He had no way of knowing that his presence next to Harry reminded James of himself and Sirius all those years ago. After he explained his situation to Harry, the boys went down to the kitchens to get an Elvish perspective.

"Draco, this is Emi. She's my nanny-elf and taught me how to cook. These are Pogi and Warken, some of my best friends. Guys, this is Draco. He helped out with the day to day stuff when Requiar Mortun hit Hogwarts this year." Harry introduced, blithely ignoring the wide-eyed shock of his elvish friends and the uncharacteristic hesitance radiating off of Draco. Thankfully, everyone took their cues from him and exchanged greetings.

"Please just call me Draco if-if you can," Draco stuttered nervously. He sighed, "My family's reputation is not a nice one. I wasn't raised like Harry; the Malfoy elves have only ever interacted with me in ways that were deemed appropriate by my father. Meeting Harry opened my eyes to a lot of things wrong with my father's teachings. I want to enact changes, but they'll be slow until the headship gets passed to me. That being said...Binky, my nanny-elf, has cared for me more than my mother ever has. I need a way and a place to explain things to her at least. Now that my eyes have been opened, I need at least her to know what is going on."

Pogi and Warken had always known that their friend was a natural leader. When Harry had shared tales of his experiences at Hogwarts, they hadn't been surprised at all to hear of his taking control at Halloween or of his peers listening to his suggestions. His interest in better Goblin-Wizard relations and Lycan rights was not surprising in the least. Meeting one of his new friends to discuss his relationship with elves, however, was not as expected. Not surprising given how common the unlikely was when Harry was involved...but not expected. His polite demeanor towards them showed that something had touched this newcomer in a spectacular way.

Emi's eyes took on a gleam. While reputation was enough to make her wary of her Harry's new friend, she could not dismiss the child's eyes. He looked like he bore a great burden and seemed horribly vulnerable. She knew that, whatever the boy's relationship with his nanny-elf, his caregiver would also see this burden and wish to relieve it. And so she thought…

The beginnings of a plan took shape. "Harry, I's thinking we's should be calling Gellion. He is being able to see the bond between you's friend and his nanny-elf. If the bond be what I's thinking though, maybe Mr, uh I's mean Draco and his nanny-elf could be going camping somewheres and he be able to talks to her there"

And so, Warken went to retrieve Gellion warning only that Harry had made friends at Hogwarts. Seeing the Malfoy heir casually drinking tea with Harry and some Potter elves all at the same table did little to help the hardened elf's mood. Hearing the reason behind his being called….

Tugging at the small bit of hair remaining on his head, Gellion turned first to Emi. In Elvish he vented his frustration fully. "I blame you, Emi! Before you turned that boy into a mutated elf, I was free to quietly despise the tall-ones without prejudice!" Here he turned to Harry, "And you, you aren't content with keeping your strange ways to yourself, you just had to pass it on!" Finally, he turned to Draco and calmly explained that his bond with Binky would prevent her from passing on anything he told her in confidence to others even if ordered to by the elder Malfoys. His secret would be safe so long as it was shared away from other elves. He further suggested the perfect spot for a little camping trip as it was near a large supply of Elvish foodstuffs that she could eat.

And so the plan was made. All Draco needed was a wizarding tent and permission from his parents. Then he could begin to make things right with Binky….

"What do you mean, 'Dobby is ready to serve?' Binky is my nanny-elf, and she is the one who is coming with me!"

Draco was quite frustrated. He just wanted to get away from this place, but apparently a miscommunication had been made as to who would accompany him. Seeing the house-elf Dobby cringe away from him did not help his mood. _Deep breaths, Draco. Deep breaths._

"Look Dobby, you're not in trouble. Just go and tell Binky that her presence is required."

"Bu-"

"Dobby!" Draco ground his teeth. He didn't want to be like his father. He wouldn't be his father. Finally, Binky appeared ready to go. Draco was glad to see that his nanny appeared to have gained a little weight since his return home. He had made a point of asking for more food than usual and having her eat the leftovers seemingly without a care. He hoped that being near a large source of more elvish foodstuffs would also help her to gain weight. Elves were naturally a slight race, but Draco was acutely aware that the offerings at Malfoy Manor were less than they could be.

After a long day of travel (including a hike that they were just able to complete), the two finally arrived at a clearing that met Master Draco's exacting standards. Binky could not fathom what made her master choose this spot over any of many others they had passed, but she had to admit there was an unassuming beauty to the spot. Once the tent was set up, she got straight to work making supper for her young master. He seemed more quiet than usual, as though something were troubling him. Binky so hoped that this time away would do him good. Binky's hand moved to her stomach as she stirred a hearty stew. She could feel the young life growing, confused at this strange place that seemed so empty of magic compared to the kitchens of the Manor. Binky hoped that Master Draco would not be too upset at a delay. With no other elves around to bolster the magic, Binky would have to ration what she used in service to keep the babe healthy and hopefully delay its arrival.

Meanwhile, Draco was walking along the edge of the clearing, confirming for himself what Gellion had said about Elvish foodstuffs being within easy reach...or trying to. Plants look very different in the wild than in a kitchen waiting to be added to a pot. Some of it seemed familiar though. He sighed and once again practiced his speech. By the time Binky announced supper, his stomach was in knots.

"Is you not be liking the stew, Master Draco? I's sorry it be taking so long to make. Is you be punishing me?" Binky asked fearfully. It broke Draco out of his stupor. He'd been playing with his food for the last twenty minutes.

"No Binky. There's no need for that. I'm sure the stew is very good...I just...I have a lot on my mind. I know it's not normal protocol, but sit down, please. I brought you here so that we could talk away from other's ears." Here Draco nodded towards the only other chair in the tent.

Confused by her master's use of the word "please" but wanting to obey nonetheless, Binky sat. The fluffy chair felt strange to her, but the support to her aching back felt oh so good. Binky fought to keep her face from revealing anything. A whispered "thank you" met her sharp ears, and she met Master Draco's eyes in surprise. Surely he hadn't… but instead of being met with anger for the offence, her master was smiling... at her? It was a gentle smile too, as if her using such extravagance genuinely made him happy. Maybe, just maybe she wouldn't get punished for this?

After a few false starts, Master Draco finally explained why his eyes had been so sad since he returned home. Binky could hardly believe what she had been told. This was not the child who left for Hogwarts last September. It explained much though and gave her hope for the young life growing inside of her.

"I know that serving me brings you joy and keeps the bond between us healthy, Binky, and while we're on this trip, you'll still do the cooking and such….Just, the standards will be more relaxed. I won't get angry if the meal isn't ready at a moment's notice. It won't be the end of the world if some of this lovely stew is my lunch tomorrow. Also...I sorta picked this place because I heard it's near types of food that house-elves like. It would...please me...if you made sure you were well fed during our time in the wilderness as well. I want you to take care of yourself too. I always want you to take care of yourself; I just have to be more discreet about it when we're at the Manor."

At this, Binky's eyes began to water. What Master Draco described was a type of bond that all elves dreamed of having. Of course, one fancy speech (even knowing that Master Draco seemed to mean every word) could not completely dispel a lifetime of fear. Much could happen to change a master's mind on a subject after all. Trust would take time, quite probably more time than this trip would afford them...unless a horrific case of bad timing could prove to be the best blessing of all.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aaaaah!" Binky moaned lowly. "Not now, Baby, please be holding on. Plea-aaaah!"

Unfortunately, Binky's baby did not listen. Alone in the tent, Binky gave birth to her precious little one. Small even by elven standards, the babe's cry was weak and interspersed with little gasps as she tried to breathe.

It was during one of these episodes that Draco returned from a hike. Normally, Binky would greet him with a nutritious energy drink, and her absence was immediately noted as were the sounds of her pleas for something to hold on. Entering the makeshift area that the two had made for Binky, his heart leapt into his throat at the sight. For a long minute, Draco was frozen staring at the scene in front of him.

The babe's squall shook him out of his daze. "Wha-who? Who is this, Binky?" Despite speaking at a whisper to avoid startling his nanny-elf, Binky still jumped in fright and backed away from the slowly approaching tall-one. Her worst nightmare had come to be. Tall-ones were not to be troubled with elves unless the elf was able to do something for their Maschre. The little babe in her arms was helpless, unable to prove its value. It stood no chance against the whims of the Maschre. A keening wail left her mouth without permission. No, NO. She had to stop. Binky had no time for keening. She had to think of something, anything that she could give or do in exchange for her baby's safety. Maschres found joy in punishment right?

"P-please Masch-Master. P-please, be doing whatevers you be wanting to me in punishment. Just, just don't be hurting Binky's baby." Bad Binky, Bad. Calling Baby her own is just giving the Maschre another way to hurt Binky. "She be growing strong and be working good for youse if she be having a chance." flings

Draco's heart hurt. It beat in terror for the _baby?_ Seemingly struggling for life. It hurt that Binky feared he would hurt the little life. He kneeled next to Binky with tears in his eyes. "No Binky. No one's gonna hurt you or your baby. Why didn't you-never mind." Draco understood why this would be kept a secret. He didn't want to imagine what would have happened had this happened around his dad. Now Draco understood why Dobby wanted to go in Binky's place.

"What's wrong with... her, you said? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Binky's heart leapt. She could barely believe her ears even as she carefully shifted the rags a little so that Master Draco could see her precious little one. "She be weak, Master Draco. House-elves be needing lots of magic around to grow healthy, especially baby elvies"

"Couldn't you pop back with her to the manor?"

"I's afraids she may be being too weak to handle the pop, Master. I's needing to finds a way to makes her stronger first."

"And I suppose if she's too weak for that, just hiking out of here is out of the question too…Oh Binky, I'm so sorry I made you come with me! I...I have a friend. Maybe if I can contact him, he'd be able to help."

Thankfully, their campsite wasn't terribly far from Potter Manor. Oh definitely too far for them to reach on their own, but Draco's familiar would be able to reach it within a few hours. Draco just hoped the baby in Binky's arms could hold out that long and that Harry would send someone to help them quickly.

-DE-

_Pop! Pop! Pop!_ Nearly faint with relief, Draco greeted the three visitors and explained the situation. While Emi and Gellion went to see to the baby and mother, Harry sat with Draco.

"it's not your fault."

"Isn't it though? I'm the one who dragged a pregnant house-elf into the wilderness. Her mate even tried to go in her place, but I wouldn't let him."

"So you knew she was pregnant?"

"…no"

"You knew that the trip would be dangerous?"

"No, but Harry, you don't understand! It took us hours to get here. What if the hike encouraged the baby to come early?"

"Tell me about your bond with Binky."

"Huh?"

"Tell me about your bond with your nanny-elf. I presume you talked to her at some point during the trip. I can't imagine that that didn't impact your connection in some way."

"It's stronger…I think. I mean I've sorta maybe been getting little twinges that I think are what she's feeling? Not all the time, but it seems to bleed through when her guard is down. That's never happened before."

Harry's eyebrows rose. He wasn't surprised that Draco could feel his nanny-elf's emotions, rather that this was a new situation. Given his unique upbringing, Harry had always been close with Emi, and she had never (at least in his memory) felt the need to shield herself from him. It was similar with Pogi and Warken though they sometimes shielded if a game required stealth. Also, their bond with Harry was different, being through Harry's dad rather than a direct connection like nanny-elves had. Hearing that Draco did not have access to the easy approval and comfort that Emi gave him made Harry sad.

Sighing, Harry continued, "I'm glad your bond is getting stronger. I imagine that a strong connection with you will only help your nanny-elf and, through her, the baby. Come on," Here Harry stood from the log where they'd been chatting. " You said that she told you the baby needed lots of magic, right? While Emi and Gellion tackle the direct care, you and me can at least help with the magical atmosphere of the tent. You remember how to float stuff, right?"

More thankful than he could express for his friend and having something positive to do, Draco merely nodded and followed Harry back inside. It took a few tries to connect with his magic like Harry had taught him in Hogwarts' kitchens, but soon the two boys were levitating everything in sight. Draco's brow sweat a little with the effort of such prolonged magic, but he wouldn't, no couldn't, stop doing the one thing that might, maybe be helping his nanny-elf and the baby in the next room.

Somewhere deep inside him, a soft thu-thump was felt, and with it was a wave of relief. Binky was not shielding at all, and Draco's intense magic use made his perceptions of her that much stronger. Thu-thump, thu-thump...through her, Draco could sense the babe now breathing peacefully, her heart beating strong.

A few minutes later, Gellion left Binky's room. "I's thought the wave of magic in here was you," he stated to Harry. Turning to Draco, "You's be floating too?"

"Harry taught me...it was the only thing we could think of to help," Draco responded meekly.

"You's a surprise, you is," Gellion sighed.

"Will the baby be alright? I'll keep this up as long as I have to!" Draco fervently stated, matching words to action by levitating the table. Both Gellion and Harry could see the strain on Draco, however.

"That's...not be necessary. You's is making the baby stronger, but I's afraid the magic is being only a bandaid. Babies be needing bonds to their families to maintain their's magic levels. This baby be's only having one bond. Is not enough, and hers magic levels even with youse two's boosting the magic in the tent is not being strong enough for travel."

"You're, you're saying she'll die? No! No! What if, what if she bonded to me? The adult elves are bonded to my father, would being bonded to me help her levels?"

Gellion scoffed. "Tall-ones not be being bonded to baby elves. Babies not be being able to serve masters. Babies is to be kept hidden until they's old enough to serve."

"You're telling me about tradition. Please, answer the question. If the baby was bonded to me, would that give her the strength needed to get home and be healthy?"

Slowly, Gellion nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, if you be opening the bond on you'se end enough to let hers access some of you'se magic, that be being enough"

"Let's do it!...Um, Gellion, I've never been to a bonding ceremony. What do I say and do?"

"You'se be needing to state your intent to take baby elf as you'se bonded one and think of youse expectation for the bond. Then be letting your magic make hers submit to you. Then she should be safe to move back to yours manor."

Within thirty minutes, the bonding ceremony was ready to begin. As Draco held the baby and bound her to him, he could only hope that she would grow to be happy, healthy, and strong. He remembered seeing the young elflings at Hogwarts play with each other, and yes...even with him. He wanted that, that carefree life for this precious life in his arms and vowed to do everything in his power to make it so, in spite of his father. When the time came for his magic to interact with hers, something strange happened. Rather than seeing the green glow of his natural magic beat her gentle yellow into submission, his magic seemed to envelope hers, holding it close and nurturing it instead.

Binky, able to feel the newly formed bond both through her daughter and through her master, felt her eyes tear up...this time in joy. The bond was a beautiful vibrant thing, symbiotic more than parasitic.

Draco could not take his eyes off the little one. His magic sang a song of peace, and he felt overwhelmed by feelings of love and a need to protect. Eventually, he spoke. "What's her name?"

Gellion and the other elves shared a look. Traditionally, elflings were given an elvish name by the strongest elf to bond with them, and maschres either renamed them at their bonding ceremony or they were called by bastardized versions of their real name. In this case, none of the elves at Malfoy Manor would contribute more to the elfling's well-being than Master Draco already had. Plus, she was already bonded.

Gellion spoke up. "I's believe that that honor is belonging to you, sir."

Draco was silent for a minute...his mind going over the, admittedly little, he knew about elves. He remembered a story Harry had told him while he was busy making the cure for the sick elves at Hogwarts. Draco wanted to be like the human in that story. Remembering that the elf was Gellion's ancestor, he turned to him. "If it's alright with you, Gellion, I would like to name her Aiyalia...or Ailey for short. Harry told me the story, and I want to be like Donnchad when I grow up"

And so the babe was named. Just as the one for whom she was named represented great change, so too would this child. As Donnchad created a cure to a deadly illness, so would Draco be remembered as one who led the fight for a new type of bond between elves and man.


End file.
